A Lion Named Jude
by ButtonMashr
Summary: Season 1 A/U: Merlin has only been staying with Gaius for six weeks when a letter arrives about another young man: his name is Owen, and he has been living in the forest alone, with a lion as his only companion. This is a Merlin-ification, so if you know the story you'll (hopefully!) see it in new ways. (also: in this fic Gwaine is a more traditional knight of Camelot)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm new to writing for Merlin, and seeing how it goes. I actually write for Riverdale more typically (not too different, right? ...Right?) and have been threatening to write something lighter to break up the darker stuff - and I thought maybe a Merlin fic would be the perfect thing. **

**Please let me know if you like the story, and I'll certainly continue if there is interest! It's kind of a strange premise (woo-hoo!), and there are not actually any OC's in this story (so far, anyway), and it's not a crossover. It's like a riddle! **

**If you know the story, and you know what I'm doing here, that's super cool. Huzzah! I'm Merlin-ifying. If the plot all sounds strange and new, just regard this as an A/U and anyone new as an OC and that will work just fine. :)**

**BTW, to anyone following me over from Riverdale, I hope you enjoy too! :-D (and I'm not going to abandon the never-ending story; chapter 13 is alive and well. Pinky swear!)**

**Enjoy!**

**-Button**

**00000**

After six weeks living with Gaius, I'd gotten used to a number of difficult realities: the food was much worse in the city than in the villages, work as a royal servant or court physician was difficult and took almost as much of the day as the subsistence labor I'd previously undertaken alongside my mother, and the most distinct part of who I was had to be hidden - which meant that I had to be vigilant at all times. Losing control just once could lead directly to my execution by Uther Pendragon. My past was obscured, and my future at risk.

I was alone in all of that, too. The isolation and sense that nobody could fully understand my precarious position could sometimes be the hardest burden, no matter how supportive Gaius tried to be - and indeed was.

Then Gaius received a letter, and we took a trip into the forest.

And we returned with Owen - and with Jude, his lion.

And suddenly, all of that changed.

**00000**

Our first night in Gaius' home with the three - four - of us was simple enough. Owen was exhausted, and he curled up with Jude and went straight to sleep.

Which was convenient. I had some questions for Gaius that I'd been reluctant to raise in front of Owen.

"Gaius, will he be staying with us for long? How do you know Aaron?" I could hear that I did not sound enthusiastic and I had the grace to feel a little shame over that.

"Aaron is an old friend," Gaius was already staring me down, and I knew right away that he had not liked my tone, and that I was probably not going to like what he had to say about Owen. "I expected that you would be eager to take Owen in, considering your own situation."

Well, that was just it, wasn't it?

"What if he figures out my secret?" It felt mean even to say it, but I was still haunted by the execution that I'd witnessed within an hour of entering Camelot for the first time, just weeks before.

"Do you think that a boy of fifteen who has lived alone in the forest with a lion does not have secrets of his own?" Gaius chided me gently, and with a small smile. "You may find a friend, and perhaps even a confidant in him. You have quite a bit in common, Merlin. There are also a few benefits of having him around that may well appeal to you."

I was not at all sure what those could be, and our shared space felt cramped already, but I was intrigued by the idea of sharing my secret and perhaps having a close friend.

I looked over at Owen again. His matted blonde hair covered most of his face and blended a little too well with his lion for me to study his features, and it struck me that I might have an easier time seeing us as friends (as peers, though I was a few years older) once he had a chance to bathe and change into the clothing Gaius had asked me to procure in the morning.

It seemed promising. And Gaius guarded my secret even more closely than I did, so I had come to trust his judgment about when I could speak more freely - and the craving to let just one friend see my true self was powerful.

All the same, even on our journey home, Owen had proven himself to be more than a little odd in conversation. _That_ part I was not convinced Gaius could speak on with authority; he'd never met Owen before, though he had gotten some information from Aaron in a letter - who had been setting out bread and water for the young boy ever since he'd first spotted him in the forest with his lion.

The boy who had no memory.

Or perhaps the boy who had so many secrets that he _claimed_ to have no memory.

Time would tell.

In the meantime, there was a strong new scent in our home and the disconcertingly resonant sound of a lion snoring. Owen had twisted himself into the animal's mane and fallen asleep easily, but Gaius and I were likely to have a lot more trouble getting to sleep with the unfamiliar growling noise echoing rhythmically through our home.

And I needed my sleep. The lady Honor, renowned for her beauty and heiress to a small but rich and coveted kingdom, was to arrive in Camelot the next day. She would be staying with Morgana, learning about the court here and being introduced to our customs and to potential allies - just as the lady Luna was doing on a smaller scale, by accompanying Honor and spending this time away from her own (even more modest) kingdom.

Arthur had taken quite a bit of notice of Honor's impending arrival. His standards for armor and dress were always rigid, but this was an opportunity to be noticed, and that meant I was under even more pressure than usual in the job which I was still learning.

Maybe Gwen would help me out. I'd have to get up a little earlier to ask, which would be a challenge since I'd already committed to being up early to get more suitable (sanitary) clothing for Owen.

The lion shifted, and perhaps those great animals dreamed. I hoped so, because the alternative was that it was beginning to issue a low growl in my general direction.

Gaius had better have been serious about those benefits.

**00000**

Both Owen and the lion were gone when I got up in the morning.

"Gaius, I haven't gotten his clothing yet," I looked around, as if he could somehow be hiding in plain sight with a massive male lion.

"You needn't worry about young Owen, Merlin." Gaius chuckled at me. I was used to that, even after just a few weeks of living with Gaius, and I simply waited for him to say more. "Jude will look after him. Owen will need the clothing before he meets others in the city, so do pick them up this morning, but I suspect that you may be pleasantly surprised by Owen's contributions to our household. Fetch some water while you're out, too."

I sighed, but obediently took the bucket with me when I left.

The morning seemed off to a promising start, though, when I saw that Gwen was also getting water.

"Are you helping Morgana prepare for the lady Honor's arrival?" I asked as I joined her at the spigot that serviced our portion of the city. "I'll probably need some help with Arthur's clothing this week, and I'll be more than willing to pay you in labor for your most valuable expertise." I smiled as charmingly as I could, and Gwen responded as she always did: generously, and with a warm smile of her own.

"I'll help you as much as I can. I'll be working quite a bit as well; it sounds like the lady Morgana might soon have a rival in Camelot, and she's likely to be just a _bit _more demanding than Arthur as we prepare for the arrival of Honor and Luna."

"Not possible," I said confidently, with a smug expression. I usually won any contests about whose employer was more demanding. "Arthur thinks he has a shot with Lady Honor. He'll want his armor gleaming like a looking glass, and his clothing fresher than it was when it was made."

"Oh, but you have not yet seen a lady of Honor's reputation and beauty visit the court," Gwen smiled almost pityingly. Apparently she thought she was going to win the contest this time. "It upsets much more of the order than the visitors we've had since you began working as Arthur's manservant, believe me."

I would wait to see how that played out before I conceded the point to her, but Gwen was more than likely right. In which case I probably needed Gwen's help even more than I'd realized. And she would be busy.

This was not good news. "Will Morgana need all your time?"

"I'll help you, Merlin," Gwen patted my arm reassuringly as her bucket finished filling and she moved so that I could access the water with my bucket. "I won't leave you to fend for yourself. What's that you're carrying?"

I was carrying Owen's new sets of clothing - one for wearing and one for washing.

"Gaius has a friend - a hermit - who had been feeding a feral boy in the forest. Since Gaius is apparently in the business of taking in young men who require lodging and honest work," I smiled self-consciously, "we've opened up the boarding house once again. His name is Owen, and I don't know much about him yet. Except that he seems very independent - he went out on his own this morning, and he's only been in Camelot since we arrived back last night."

"Do you think that's wise?" Gwen looked around. The city was safe in most areas, but not all of them. There were also countless ways for an unsuspecting visitor to the city to transgress the city's stringent rules of conduct, which was probably the greater worry. Owen did not sound like he'd had a lot of experience interacting with people, let alone navigating social settings in a village or city.

"Gaius didn't seem worried," I replied, shrugging but making it clear that I agreed with Gwen that it was strange to me as well.

"Gaius usually knows what he's doing," Gwen said reluctantly. "I'll be interested in meeting Owen."

"And Jude." I figured I'd better get that part out of the way. "He has a lion."

"_What_?"

**00000**

It took a few minutes to satisfy Gwen with the fact that I had very little information to share with her - but that I would be more than willing to share everything I learned when we checked in with each other later, in the castle. We made a plan to meet up and work together, so that I could benefit from her expertise and she from my gossip about Owen, and then I hurried back to Gaius with the water and Owen's clothing.

Owen and Jude had made it back before me. They had brought a deer with them.

My jaw dropped. "The king's deer?" There was no other possibility. They could not have gone far enough outside of Camelot for hunting to be permissible.

"Merlin, calm down," Gaius motioned to me swiftly, probably so that I would not worry Owen. "This is one of the benefits I was mentioning to you. Owen and Jude have special permission from the king to hunt deer near Camelot. Apparently it has to do with a small dragon that Jude did battle with in the forest."

"It was how we met," Owen offered. "They were fighting. That was how Jude got his name. He defeated the serpent."

I blinked at him; that did not make sense.

"He's very… literate," Gaius tried to explain, but was clearly just as bewildered by this detail he'd learned about the new member of our household. "Perhaps Aaron taught him. Owen is not certain, and it sounds like even some of the earlier days he spent in the forest near Aaron's home are not distinct for him."

"I don't remember," Owen shrugged. He seemed awfully unconcerned about it, and focused with much more concentration on wielding the hunting knife that he was using to skin the deer while Jude watched patiently from where he was sprawled across the floor. _All_ the way across the floor; he seemed even larger when he laid out in that manner.

"We'll certainly eat well!" Gaius said with a clear effort at cheering me up as I surveyed all of this uncertainly. "Thank you for bringing the water. I'll be sending Owen to bathe in the river, so you can leave his clothing on the bench just there. You'll be wanting to get to Arthur quickly, what with the visitors arriving today, but you can expect venison when you get back tonight."

That did sound good. I smiled at Gaius gratefully. I stand head and shoulders above many of the people in Camelot, and that can be an advantage for many things - but when it came to the cost of feeding me, I had already taken a hefty toll on Gaius' budget.

Venison sounded great.

But for now, I needed to get to work.

**00000**

"Merlin, could you move any more slowly?" Arthur had obviously not noticed that I was earlier than I ever showed up to help him prepare for the day.

Maybe I'd win that contest with Gwen after all.

Not that it looked likely to be worth it.

I hurried with Arthur's clothing, trying very hard not to trip over the boots he'd apparently decided to set out as a trap for the unwary. Instinctively using magic to recover my footing was something I'd been working to stop doing, with limited success, and that habit did not just make Gaius nervous.

"Have you heard any update about the lady Honor's arrival?" Arthur asked eagerly as he finished his breakfast while standing so that he could dress more quickly. "I've heard reports of a giant along the route she's taking, and I've been considering whether it might be worthwhile to ride out to meet her. Make sure she arrives safely."

I'd heard nothing about a giant. Ever.

But then, I was rarely in the loop when it came to the soldiers' reports.

"Giants?" I asked, hoping Arthur would share more.

"Let's hope not, Merlin," Arthur said disapprovingly, as if I'd multiplied their population just by speaking. "_A_ giant. Which is more than enough, and certainly would make a worthy trophy. Perhaps several trophies."

I tried not to make a face, and I'd admittedly never even heard of giants living anywhere nearby so it was not like I had any experience with that sort of thing, but it sounded disgusting.

"I've also heard that the young man who rid the forest of that nasty dragon spawn has come to Camelot," Arthur continued. "It sounded like it was no more than a large wyrm, but infestations can be hard to stamp out once they get started. We owe him a debt, and I'd like to see him fight. Do you know where he's staying, Merlin?"

He was talking about Owen. The dirty, feral teenager who was hopefully bathed - particularly since when I'd last seen him he'd been skinning a deer - but who was in desperate need of a haircut and probably more than one lesson in etiquette before he should be meeting royalty.

"Uh, I might be able to find him," I said slowly, trying to buy time to think.

"Really?" Arthur's tone turned sarcastic. "You think that you might be able to do that? He's going to be distinct, Merlin, so this is as simple as asking - I don't know - anyone. Do that today; he might be a curiosity for Lady Honor, and proof that we have at least some promising warriors and hunters in Camelot."

I nodded, but I could feel that my eyes were a little wider than usual - and I could see that Arthur was noticing that with a frown. I looked away to keep my expression from giving anything else away.

Gaius would know what to do.

"Try to get him in time for me to meet him this afternoon; I'll find out more about this giant, and Lady Honor's passage." Arthur dismissed me, and I was relieved to reach the corridor and think this over.

I probably needed to go straight to Gaius, but I'd promised to meet Gwen. I'd stop in to see her briefly, and let her know what was going on.

That was my plan, anyway.

As I approached Morgana's room, I heard a lot of noise. The door was wide open, so I chanced a quick peek inside - and almost lived to regret it when Morgana stormed past and threw a dress onto her bed as though it were a dead animal. The room was a disaster area from what little I could see.

"Gwen, it's hopeless. This is a lady whose beauty is known across the civilized world; I have _nothing_ that he has not seen me in a hundred times, and there is no time to fix this now. We'll just have to be creative."

I made a run for it. Gwen could not help me; she clearly needed to save herself.

**00000**

**And as it has begun, so shall it continue? Let me know - I love reviews, and particularly in this case I'll be interested in hearing whether you're up for reading the entirety of this one. :)**

**-Button**


	2. Chapter 2

**I thought this story deserved a second chapter. It seems as though it's not finding readership, which is fine, but if you do like it and wish to read more, let me know; I'd be willing to finish this bad boy out.**

**Enjoy!**

**-Button**

**00000**

Arthur was almost humming with approval at Owen when he approached. I wasn't sure if that was because he was so young and gangly - and therefore likely to be a formidable warrior when he had fully grown, particularly since he'd already successfully killed a wyrm - or if it was because he cleaned up to look almost distressingly like an angel made human.

"I hear that you can fight, and that you bring an unusual companion with you to Camelot," Arthur greeted Owen.

"Your highness has heard correctly," Owen responded with a small smile. "I do fight, and I could not lose my companion if I tried."

Jude was snuffling with interest around the perimeter of the courtyard, and the knights were giving him a wide berth even while watching him with fascination.

Gwen had melted into one of her fond smiles when she saw Owen. Gaius must have cut his hair that morning, and he looked a year or two younger than his fifteen years.

That made it all the more shocking when Arthur spoke again: "Would you care to give a demonstration to the knights? I'd like to warm up with an opponent who is less familiar to me."

Owen's smile grew. "It would be an honor."

I assisted Arthur in preparing for the bout before I joined Gwen on one side of the courtyard to watch.

"Do you think this is unwise?" Gwen asked me quietly. "He is so… small."

"Arthur wouldn't hurt him," I assured Gwen. In truth I was not so sure, but as I watched Owen heft a sword that seemed altogether too large for him, I resolved to intervene if necessary - subtly, of course.

And apparently I was not the only one who had that instinct.

Arthur had no sooner laid his first blow on Owen's shield than Jude was bounding up - and then the lion pulled up short when Arthur took a startled step away from the fight.

Owen looked from Jude to Arthur and then, with a grin, swung his sword into position to force Arthur to yield.

"Owen, this is not quite sporting-," Arthur began, but he stopped when he heard a laugh coming from Gwen. "Oh, is this entertaining to the household, then?"

My eyes widened as I recognized Arthur's short temper fraying. I'd better step in before this escalated. "Owen, can you, uh, ask Jude to stay to the side?"

"Jude has a will of his own." Owen shrugged, unconcerned by Arthur's reaction. "Is that not the way of battles? You may certainly shut him up as you will, but he does find his way back to me."

Arthur nodded once. "Well, maybe we'll put him in the armory for the time being."

Owen was agreeable, though he repeated his warning that Jude would find his way back.

And so Jude did.

And then he did again.

The armory was going to need a whole new set of doors if this kept up; Jude was amazingly strong and entirely averse to being shut in while Owen was engaged in battle.

I watched this play out, and braced myself for the inevitable explosion when Arthur eventually lost patience with the game. However, I was entirely surprised when Jude exploded onto the scene once more and Arthur began laughing instead.

"Owen, you do indeed have a companion in this lion. I'd be pleased to continue training you, but I fear it will take some creativity to do any more than play defense with you two." Arthur shook his head, mirthful.

Owen's smile was shy again, but pleased. "Thank you, your highness."

"Will you accompany me today? I ride out to meet the Lady Honor and escort her into Camelot. I've no doubt she would be amused by your lion, and you know the forest well, as I understand."

"We would be honored, your highness." Owen's response was courteous and somewhat more formal now that he was being called upon to provide a service to the kingdom.

"Very good." Arthur shook his head with one last laugh of disbelief at Jude, who was rubbing his head affectionately against Owen's left arm. "Lady Honor will be most impressed."

**00000**

I had a good deal of work to do to get both Arthur and Owen outfitted and ready for the ride; I would be allowed to accompany them, though certainly not in their elegant style, and I knew that Gwen was envious of my being included in the outing.

"You shall have to tell me everything later. Leave nothing out." Gwen was glad that I'd be able to carry back a report, at any rate. "You may have to keep an eye on Jude, too. That was really something."

I nodded, smiling at the memory of the fight. "I was certain that Arthur was going to explode. I do think he likes the idea of having a lion among the royal guard, though. He tends to like anything unusual and impressive." I had not been working in the court for long, but that much had become obvious.

"Well, he may like it less if Jude becomes difficult to predict - or to control," Gwen warned. "And I get the sense Owen is less the master than the pet when it comes to Jude."

It was an odd way of putting it, but Gwen was often quite insightful; I'd have to give that some consideration.

"Just be careful," Gwen's final admonishment came over her shoulder with a grin as she resumed her chores for the day. "Don't forget - you must remember everything so that you can tell me!"

**00000**

Several hours later, I had quite a bit to report back to Gwen.

Owen had taken one look at the Lady Honor and _pledged his troth_ to her, which had been worlds beyond awkward, and even after her stunned silence should have rebuffed him soundly, Owen brought both his horse and lion into position to follow her closely as she rode.

Arthur was not amused.

Lady Honor had vacillated between flattered curiosity and horror.

Lady Luna was clearly amused, which seemed wildly inappropriate under the circumstances.

I'd never seen anyone undertake such a solemn - romantic - gesture so publicly, though perhaps doing so in that manner was more appropriate within the court.

Not that anyone was responding in any way as if this were appropriate.

Perhaps Owen's apparent youth was the problem, or the fact that the Lady Honor was visiting with Arthur. It might be the youth's lack of memory that was causing the issue.

Or perhaps the lack of formal introductions.

In any case, it was a subdued ride back. Until it wasn't.

My horse rearing up was the first I knew of there being a problem.

A huge tree fell across the path, and suddenly a massive creature was moving to block our progress. A blast of rank breath and a battle cry that was part roar combined to startle me - and then I felt like I was whiplashed when the bellow was answered by an enormous roar from behind me that resonated through my chest and seemed to be full of magic.

I would have believed that giants had magical properties, but it was Jude that had made the answering sound that tingled through my entire body.

The giant had frozen in response to the lion's roar, clearly rethinking his planned attack.

The giant was certainly making an attempt to attack the caravan; he'd burst from the forest and was wielding a massive club that was more tree trunk than tree branch. However, between Jude's unexpected presence and the apparently surprising number of knights, he seemed persuaded to abort the attack almost immediately - well before anyone could get in position to fight back.

Owen was still shouting words of protection and fealty toward Lady Honor a full minute after the giant had disappeared into the forest once again. Arthur shot him an irritated look before deciding to ignore him.

"Well, Merlin, that's a giant." Arthur confirmed what I had assumed. It was a huge, hideous creature with a rank smell and no sense of modesty based on its complete lack of clothing. "We'll be dealing with that soon enough, make no mistake. We can't have one of those setting up near Camelot or we'll be overrun."

It seemed like most threats were more about 'being overrun' than the present danger. That seemed like a remote possibility if there was only one giant, but I was not going to contribute that observation.

Arthur was tense enough already.

"Gwaine, will you ride with me on the morrow to see this giant felled?" Arthur called gamely to one of the knights riding with them.

"I will indeed, sire." Gwaine had taken up position alongside Lady Luna and grinned eagerly at his prince. "He has threatened our guests and our borders. The sooner we rid the land of him, the better off we will all be."

I did not miss the admiring glance Lady Luna cautiously directed toward Sir Gwaine as he directed his attention toward Arthur. It was not quite like the adoring gaze Owen had trained on Lady Honor, but I was fairly sure that there was a great deal going unspoken on this ride.

Gwen was going to be very sorry that she'd missed most of this. The giant I was fairly certain she'd be fine doing without, but the rest of this intrigue was precisely the kind of diversion that kept her from becoming bored with the oft-repetitive work in the castle.

Poor Lady Luna would probably have to suffer in silence for the duration of her visit, though. Gwaine was lively and popular - and I was fairly certain that I'd heard more than one tale connecting him to a local lady he'd taken a shine to.

I was about to turn back to Arthur and inquire more about the ride to find the giant when I saw Gwaine turn back toward Lady Luna. Her eyes dropped instantly, and suddenly Gwaine looked less exuberant and more… wistful.

Gwen was going to think that I was making all of this up.

**00000**

"Did you have a good day?" Gaius was serving up venison stew to me and to Owen. It was slightly later than usual, but I had been relieved when both Owen and I were sent back to Gaius' quarters instead of remaining in the castle for the welcome feast that had been prepared for the Lady Honor.

Though not as relieved as the Lady Honor was, I suspected.

"I have met the most beautiful and courtly lady," Owen enthused. "She is the Lady Honor, and her name describes less of her merit than is right. She is-,"

"She is visiting Arthur," I interrupted. We needed to nip this in the bud, or Arthur was going to execute Owen - and that was probably the best case scenario. "Owen pledged his troth to her today. Before he was even introduced."

Gaius looked startled. Finally. He was seeing that there might be something more problematic about Owen. And Jude, for that matter.

"Um, Owen, that sort of thing may not be entirely wise," Gaius began. "You are a bit young to be making commitments of that nature, and the Lady Honor is-,"

"Unparalleled," Owen breathed.

"All the same," Gaius' tone was firmer as he continued, "let's keep declarations of fealty to a minimum, shall we? Aside from the question of loyalty to Camelot, that can be a binding agreement if it is reciprocated, and-,"

"If only it were so."

Owen was very difficult to argue with when he was being like this. Gaius shot me a look and I shrugged helplessly.

At least Jude smelled better. Owen must have bathed him when he got cleaned up, and when we got into bed it was kind of nice to have the quiet rumble to the lion's breath to fall asleep to.

And, once again, I suspected that I was going to need all of the sleep I could get in preparation for another day with Owen and Jude in Camelot.

**00000**

**Experiment ended? It was fun, in any event. :) Thanks for reading!**

**-Button**


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